Devon Archer said it would be “strange” to call a family member in a work environment — after telling the oversight committee that Hunter Biden called his father Joe Biden about 20 times over 10 years during business meetings.
“If I called my dad right now and put him on speakerphone and we’re having a professional business meeting here, would you think that’s weird?” Archer was questioned by the committee during testimony.
“It would be strange if you called your father now,” he replied.
“That’s a little strange,” Archer continued. “I mean, it’s not strange — I mean, it’s pretty obvious what we’re talking about.”
“I think ultimately part of what delivered is the brand. I mean, it’s like anything, you know, whether you’re Jamie Dimon’s son or any CEO. You know, I think that’s what we’re talking about, that a brand was delivered along with capability and reach.”
Hunter Biden committed ‘abuse of soft power’ by putting his father on speakerphone at business meetings – while Joe Biden knew associates were in the room, according to Devon Archer
According to the full transcript released Thursday, Archer said Biden’s “brand” acted as protection for Ukraine’s Burisma oil company because “people would be intimidated into messing with it.”
Hunter’s presence on Burisma’s board and access to his father — then vice president — led to the company’s “longevity” because they had the “abilities to navigate DC,” Archer said.
I think Burisma would have gone bankrupt if the brand wasn’t associated with it. That’s my only honest opinion,” Archer continued.
Hunter’s best friend and business partner served on Burisma’s board of directors with him from 2014. They also co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment advisory firm.
He confirmed that over a 10-year period, Hunter put Joe on speakerphone 20 times during business meetings, which was a “signal” of “value,” and Hunter used his father as “defensive leverage.”
He also told lawmakers that on at least two occasions Joe sat down and dined in person with Hunter and his foreign business partners, who then transferred money to companies affiliated with Biden almost immediately afterwards.
In the spring of 2014, Joe joined Hunter and a handful of his business associates for dinner at Cafe Milano in Washington, DC. The dinner included Kenes Rakishev, Karim Massimov, Yelena Baturina and possibly Eric Schwerin.
Archer confirmed that Joe was there long enough to eat with the group.
After dinner, on February 14, $3.5 million was transferred from Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina to Rosemont Seneca Thornton.
On April 22, $142,300 was transferred to the Rosemont Seneca Bohai account from Kenes Rakishev, a businessman from Kazakhstan, who was also at the Cafe Milano dinner.
Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov and Kenes Rakishev pictured at Cafe Milano
Hunter Biden, 53, is seen with his father on June 25 as the two continue to be targeted by House investigations
The payment was made as a gift to Hunter, who received an “expensive car.”
Archer told the committee, “I believe it was a Fisker first and then a Porsche.”
Hunter snapped a photo of himself driving a Porsche at 170 mph on a highway outside of Las Vegas in 2018, according to photos found on his abandoned laptop. It was not immediately clear whether the Porsche donated to Hunter by Rakishev was the same vehicle.
The then vice president also attended another dinner with Hunter and his partners in 2015 at Cafe Milano, Archer confirmed.
At another dinner with Burisma executives at the Four Seasons, Hunter said he could get “help from DC” to ease some “government pressure” on the company.
Archer testified that Burisma was “under pressure,” and as a result, “they asked Hunter, you know, to help them with some of that pressure.”
He said it was “government pressure” because of the ongoing Ukrainian investigation into the company at the time – led by top prosecutor Shokin.
‘But yes, there was constant pressure. And it was like it was like hitting a mole with respect to the pressure that needed to be resolved,” Archer said.
He said Burisma executives were not specific in directly asking “can the big man help?”
Rather, they used the “amorphous” term, “can we get help in DC?”
Archer understood that “DC” meant Hunter’s influence based on his connection to his VP father at the time.
“Well, I mean, he was a lobbyist and an expert and he obviously had, you know, a very powerful name. So I think it was what they asked for,” Archer said.
In March 2016, Joe Biden allegedly threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid to Ukraine if Shokin was not fired for corruption.
Archer also added that Hunter Biden would refer to his father as “my man,” which Republicans took note of after Monday’s closed-door testimony.
According to the transcript, Hunter was “paid a lot of money” by Burisma and “wanted to show value” by getting credit for Joe Biden’s 2014 trip to Ukraine.
“I can’t guide my dad in what he’s going to do on this trip, but let’s take credit for it,” Archer said, referring to his dad as “my husband.”
Exhibit 2 in the appendices also showed Hunter, emailed as ‘Robert’, writing to Archer in April 2014 and saying ‘our man must set himself up as the anti-Victor Pinchuk (coal and steel oligarch – pro Russian Yanukovych- trailer).
- Hunter’s ex-business partner Devon Archer testified that the Biden ‘brand’ acted as protection for Ukrainian oil company Burisma
- He said because ‘people would be intimidated to mess with them’ because the son of the then VP was on their board
- “I think Burisma would have gone out of business if the brand wasn’t associated with it,” Archer said.
- Burisma had the “ability to navigate DC” based on his connections to Joe Biden through Hunter
- Archer testified that the company “asked Hunter” to “help them with some of that pressure” they faced during investigations
- Hunter put Joe on speakerphone 20 times at business meetings over a 10-year period, which was a ‘signal’ of ‘value’
- Archer said Hunter used his father as ‘defensive leverage’
- Hunter got a $142,000 Porsche days after Joe went to dinner with his business associates at D.C.’s Cafe Milano
- Another $3.5 million from a Russian billionaire was transferred to a Biden-connected account after Joe attended one of Hunter’s business dinners
- Archer also said Hunter Biden would refer to his father as ‘my man’‘
At the time, then-Vice President Joe Biden led US anti-corruption efforts abroad.
Questions had remained about why Archer decided to work with the committee this week, after canceling at least three times with the committee in recent weeks.
Archer, 48, was subpoenaed on June 12 by the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Hunter’s businesses and whether he and other members of the Biden family acted improperly with their connections.
According to Archer’s opening statement in the transcript, he said “it’s been a long decade” and his entire 40s have been “stuck in the fight against the government.”
“So I want to be cooperative now and maybe we can all be friends. So let’s take it from there,” he told committee staff and lawmakers.
Archer himself is facing legal troubles and is expected to go to jail soon for defrauding Native Americans.
He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison in February 2022 for defrauding a Native American tribal entity and several investment advisory clients out of tens of millions of dollars, in connection with the issuance of $60 million in bonds.
He is on the hook along with his co-conspirators for $43.4 million in restitution for the fraud.